The Three Kingdoms: I asked you to save Guan Yu, not to destroy Sun Quan.

A northern expedition to Guanzhong?

You are now trapped in Jianye City, surrounded by layers upon layers of people, with no way to escape. Instead of letting me go to rescue you, you are being told to turn around and attack Guanzhong.

Liu Bei was once again shocked by Guan Yu's outrageous actions. How come this red-faced thief is getting crazier as he gets older? Isn't he just a complete idiot?

Just as Liu Bei was about to scold Zhou Cang, feeling frustrated and disappointed, he suddenly realized something and quickly turned to look around. After confirming that none of the nearby guards had heard, he grabbed Zhou Cang's hand and said, "Come, let's talk in private."

After saying this, he ordered the army to wait where they were, then pulled Zhou Cang straight to the central command tent. He also ordered Chen Dao, the commander of the personal guards, to personally guard the gate and prevent anyone from approaching. Only then did he ask, "Zhou Cang, repeat my second brother's original words to me."

Old Liu is an emperor who rose from the bottom; what kind of storms hasn't he seen?

Although shocked by Guan Yu's actions, they quickly realized Guan Yu's purpose and the benefits of attacking Guanzhong, and hurriedly pulled Zhou Cang into the tent to ask for details.

While asking the question, he stared intently into Zhou Cang's eyes, his breathing becoming rapid with tension.

Because Guan Yu's suggestion was so good, everyone's attention, including Cao Cao and Sun Quan, was focused on Jianye. Upon receiving the news, Cao Cao would definitely start gathering provisions and troops to prepare for a southward march, leaving Guanzhong vulnerable.

At this time, launching a northern expedition to Guanzhong is similar in spirit to Guan Yu's surprise attack on Jianye.

It was even more ingenious than the surprise attack on Guanzhong, because if the Northern Expedition failed, he had a way out, but Guan Yu had no way out.

My second brother is trying to use his own life to create an opportunity for him to launch the Northern Expedition.

Zhou Cang replied, "This was the suggestion of Prince Anguo. Prince Anguo said that by using Jianye, we can attract the armies of Wei and Wu to Guanzhong, thus leaving Guanzhong vulnerable. This would make Your Majesty's northern expedition much more effective. By the time Cao Cao reacts and comes to Guanzhong's aid, it will be too late."

"The general said that Jianye City has sufficient food and supplies. Even if the Wei and Wu armies attack at the same time, he is confident that he can hold out for a year or two. Please, Your Majesty, do not miss this opportunity and do not worry about him so that you can focus on your northern expedition."

Liu Bei nodded and called out, "Shuzhi (Chen Dao's courtesy name), take General Zhou down to rest."

After seeing Zhou Cang off, Liu Bei turned to Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, Huang Quan, and the others and asked, "What do you think?"

Zhang Fei said urgently, "Guanzhong is indeed vulnerable, but Second Brother's situation is too dangerous. If we don't go to rescue him, can he hold on?"

Zhao Yun pondered, “Jianye is a place personally supervised by Sun Quan and is intended to serve as the capital. It should be no problem to defend it for a year or two. That's enough time for us to take over Guanzhong. It's not impossible to negotiate with Sun Quan after we take over Guanzhong.”

"On the contrary, continuing the eastern expedition would easily provoke Cao Cao to intervene and disrupt the situation, which could introduce many variables into the battle and ultimately harm General Guan."

Huang Quan chimed in, "I agree with General Zilong's opinion. The biggest variable right now is Sun Quan. We can't push Sun Quan too far, otherwise he might surrender to Cao Cao in desperation, and we'll be in for a world of trouble."

"If we take a step back and temporarily cede Jingzhou to Sun Quan, we will still control most of Jiangdong. Moreover, Sun Quan, who has Jingzhou, will definitely not be willing to surrender to Wei. If he does not surrender, he will tie down some of Cao Cao's troops and provide assistance for our northern expedition."

"However, to prevent Cao Cao from noticing and taking precautions in advance, or Sun Quan from noticing and causing trouble for us, we still need to make a show of an eastern expedition. I suggest continuing the eastern expedition and attacking Zigui and Yiling, but we don't need to attack Yidao City. Just station the army in Yiling to make a show of an eastern expedition, so as not to push Sun Quan too far."

Liu Bei pondered, "Gongheng (Huang Quan's courtesy name) is right, but for such a significant matter, we should consult the strategist. Order the strategist to come to Jiangzhou immediately..."

He stopped mid-sentence, hesitated for a moment, and then changed his words: "Never mind, the messenger should go back and inform the strategist. It would be too much of a waste for the strategist to come over. I will personally return to Chengdu to discuss this with the strategist. You can continue to attack Zigui and Yiling according to the original plan. Just wait for me in Yiling."

"Yes..." The group bowed and took their leave.

Zhang Fei stayed behind until everyone else had left before saying worriedly, "Brother, what will happen to Second Brother if we really change our route to the Northern Expedition? Can he hold out?"

Guan Yu was in a very dangerous situation. He was surrounded by enemies on all sides, and all he could rely on was the city of Jianye.

The sheer scale of that ambush from all sides is enough to send chills down your spine, let alone experiencing it firsthand.

Liu Bei smiled bitterly and said, "I understand what you're saying, but Gongheng is right. If we insist on the eastern expedition and force Sun Quan to surrender to Cao Cao, then Yun Chang will be completely doomed."

"At present, only if Sun Quan and Cao Cao continue their open and covert struggles will Guan Yu have the opportunity to maneuver between them and thus hold out for a longer period of time."

"So continuing the eastern expedition will not only fail to save Guan Yu, but may even put him to death. On the contrary, abandoning the eastern expedition and turning north to attack Zhao by besieging Wei might be the best way to save Guan Yu. Do you understand now?"

There were too many twists and turns involved, and Zhang Fei's head ached from thinking about it. He slapped his forehead and said, "Forget it, I believe you won't harm my second brother, I'm going to prepare for the expedition."

Seeing that he was about to leave, Liu Bei quickly grabbed him and said with a smile, "Third brother, I have to praise you for what you did just now. You didn't scream when you heard Second Brother's news about our Northern Expedition on the training ground. It's a miracle! How did you manage to hold back today?"

Zhang Fei's voice was so loud it could break the bridge at Dangyang; one shout could be heard across most of the training ground.

With so many soldiers on the training ground, there must have been spies from both the Wei and Wu armies among them. If Zhang Fei had really shouted and spread the news that Guan Yu had requested a northern expedition, they wouldn't have needed to launch the northern expedition and could have prepared to fight Sun Quan to the death.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei was stunned for a moment, then scratched his head and chuckled, "It's not that I held back, but the news was too shocking. I didn't react for a moment, and by the time I did, you had already arrived at the command tent, so I had no choice but to follow."

Liu Bei was speechless, but patted him on the shoulder and laughed, "Prepare for the expedition. Remember to keep the Northern Expedition a secret."

"Yes..." Zhang Fei left the main tent with great joy, gave a brief pre-battle pep talk at the training ground, and then hurriedly led his army to Zigui.

Liu Bei didn't delay. He rode a fast horse and rushed to Chengdu to discuss the matter with Zhuge Liang. He wouldn't feel at ease if he didn't ask Zhuge Liang's opinion on such an important matter.

This time, Liu Bei only brought Chen Dao and a dozen or so guards. He returned to Chengdu in just two days. Instead of going back to the palace, he went straight to Zhuge Liang's residence.

Upon receiving the news, Zhuge Liang rushed out to greet him, asking in surprise, "Why has Your Majesty suddenly returned? Has something happened?"

"Let's go inside and talk." Liu Bei pulled him into the hall, and only after confirming that there were no eavesdroppers behind the walls did he repeat the message that Guan Yu had sent.

Zhuge Liang was equally shocked, his eyes widening in disbelief. He remained stunned for a long time before regaining his senses and pacing back and forth, saying, "Good idea. No matter what, our biggest enemy is always Cao Cao. If we can take Guanzhong, it wouldn't be a big deal to temporarily give Jingzhou to Sun Quan."

"Even if Sun Quan gets Jingzhou, he won't pose a fatal threat to us. Cao Cao is different; he can crush us at any time. However, this matter is of great importance, and we need to plan it carefully."

While they were talking, Zhuge Liang had already come up with a plan to mislead Sun Quan and Cao Cao and seize Guanzhong.

Zhuge Liang lacked ideas, not wisdom. Once the window paper is broken, he can draw inferences from one instance to another, and even from one instance to ten.

After explaining his Northern Expedition plan to Liu Bei, Zhuge Liang sincerely praised, "First, launch a surprise attack on Jianye, then launch a Northern Expedition to Guanzhong. Prince Anguo's thinking is truly imaginative!"